


Croon

by LadyM_17



Series: Whumptober 2020 [12]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Mental Coercion, Morally Neutral Deceit | Janus Sanders, Panic Attacks, Unsympathetic Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:06:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26975596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyM_17/pseuds/LadyM_17
Summary: When Virgil told Roman about Janus' influence over the sides, Roman never even considered using it against his fellow sides... but then he did.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Logic | Logan Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Morality | Patton Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Thomas Sanders
Series: Whumptober 2020 [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948384
Comments: 4
Kudos: 34
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Croon

**Author's Note:**

> I think Roman counts as unsympathetic in here? I'm not sure if I tagged that properly, he is redeemed but he also just made a really bad and cruel mistake. 
> 
> Prompt: Day 12: I think I've broken something [Broken Trust]
> 
> Content Warning: Mental Manipulation, Panic Attacks  
> Please let me know if you think anything else should be included and take care of yourself.

“Why don’t you like Janus?” Roman asked, looking to commiserate with Virgil over their mutual dislike of the snake.

Virgil shrugged. “He talks too pretty, lowers our guard, convinces us of things we would never be convinced of without his influence. I prefer having my wits about me.”

Roman nodded and went off on a rant about the snake, but he filed that information away in his brain. He would never use it, of course, it was just helpful to know for whenever Janus was around.

* * *

“But you’re being paranoid!” Roman exclaimed.

Virgil stiffened and Roman immediately tried to backpedal. “Well, what I meant was-“

“Don't worry about it, Princey.” Virgil’s voice was deeper than usual, the ringing tone a sign of Thomas’s state of heightened anxiety.

“Roman! Virgil is being vigilant; he’s just worried about Thomas’s safety.” Truthfully, Patton was on Roman’s side here, perhaps Virgil was being a bit too cautious, but Virgil didn’t like being called paranoid, so, under his watch, no one was going to be calling his kiddo paranoid.

“But there’s nothing that can go wrong if Thomas accepts the role!”

“Well, Virgil did actually make some good points about Thomas’s productivity, reputation, and prior commitments,” Logan said, “Though I agree that it would be a great positive step for Thomas if handled correctly.”

“See! Even Logan agrees with me!”

“If handled correctly,” Logan clarified, “If handled incorrectly, Virgil is right— there is a great deal that could go wrong.”

“Thank you, Logan,” Virgil said, “I don’t think we should not take the role—”

Roman scoffed.

“Okay, that’s fair," Virgil conceded. "But could we _at least_ take some time to think it over— consider all the factors! Make an informed decision!”

“I do agree with making an informed decision,” Logan said.

“Virgil, kiddo, no one’s saying we jump in blindly— or without our glasses,” Patton said.

“Yeah! But we have enough information,” Roman insisted. “If we keep up at this pace they’re going to think that we don’t want the part! And the longer we wait the more time you have to talk us out of it!”

“It is true that we have enough information to make an informed decision and waiting any longer does seem frivolous.”

“I don’t know guys,” Thomas said, “What if Virgil’s right? I mean it is a big commitment and there are so many other things I could be doing with my time!”

“Don’t tell me he’s convincing you!” Roman had an idea. “I have a way to convince you- give me a moment.” He sunk into Janus’s room.

The snake seemed to be excepting him. “Oh no! I’m so caught off guard,” he said, standing fully dressed, hat on, in the middle of the room staring at the spot Roman had risen out of. “To what could I possibly owe the pleasure?”

“I need you to convince Virgil about the role! You’re the only one who can do it!”

“You would have me lie to Virgil?” Janus asked.

“Not lie, just convince. You have the power to do that, right?”

“…No.” Janus smiled. “But to clarify, you surely are not asking me to manipulate Virgil into siding with you.”

“Not manipulate! Just help him calm down about it. Then he’ll let Thomas accept the role and everyone will be better off... it won't hurt him right?”

"Of course it will." Janus grinned. "Virgil will be fine." 

"Then let's do it! It'll be good for everyone!" 

“Surely there’s no possible way for this to go wrong,” Janus said, as the two returned to Thomas’s living room.

“Hi, Janus!” Patton said as the two rose up.

“Hello, Patton, Roman said I could be of some assistance with Virgil?”

“With Virgil?” Logan asked. “Oh, that’s really not-“

Virgil had already backed up into the banister. “You’re not coming near me,” he snarled.

“Oh Virgil,” Janus crooned, “I’m not going to hurt you. This is safe you know that.”

“Don’t…” Virgil’s voice slurred as his muscles relaxed.

“What’s he doing?” Thomas asked.

“Hush, Thomas, I need space to work. C’mon Virgil, breathe with me.” Janus waved his hands, forcing Virgil’s breathing to match his own slow pace. At first, the side floundered but soon his breaths evened out. “Good job, now about this role-“

Virgil’s breath hitched.

“Nope, keep breathing, in and out, that’s it. About this role, why are you so worried?”

“Too much to do, too little control.” That was surprisingly straightforward.

Janus shook his head. “Don’t you trust Logan to keep Thomas accountable?”

“Yes.” Virgil’s voice was softer than usual, almost a whisper.

“And Patton to ensure Thomas takes care of himself and his friends?”

“Yes."

“And Roman to give Thomas enough inspiration?”

“Yes.” Virgil would never usually admit any of this, not so openly, not with so little build-up. Roman felt something twist in him, but this was for Thomas’s own good.

“Don’t you trust them to make the right decisions for Thomas, that they’ll take care of him?”

“Yes.”

“So is there really any use in hurting them by standing in their way?”

“He’s not—“ Janus held up a finger and Patton went quiet.

“No,” Virgil said, slumping against the banister. 

“Exactly, good, now Thomas, why don’t you send your acceptance in?”

Thomas was staring at Virgil, then glanced at Janus, horrified. “I already have,” he said.

“Yes, we’d already talked to Virgil, this was completely unnecessary,” Logan added.

“And even if he hadn’t agreed, this isn’t the answer!” Patton was able to speak again.

Janus rolled his eyes. “Guess you didn’t need my help, after all, Roman. I should stay.” Janus sunk out of the living room with a wave.

As soon as he was gone Virgil took a gasping breath and slammed himself backward into the stair railing as he sunk to the floor.

“Hey, hey, kiddo, breathe with me.” That was evidently not the right thing to say because at Patton’s words Virgil clammed his hands over his ears.

“He will not trust us, right now,” Logan said, “Certainly not through auditory means so soon after they were used against him.”

“Then what do we do?” Thomas asked, sinking to the ground, as he started feeling the effects of Virgil’s panic.

“Well first off, Thomas, you need to breathe, slowly. Know that you are safe and no one is going to hurt you. Internalize it, as you calm down so will Virgil.”

Thomas nodded and Patton helped Thomas count his breaths as Logan turned to focus on Virgil. Ideally, Roman would be the first one he’d see. The creative side had never been impersonated by Janus, but Logan suspected that seeing Roman would do more harm than good. Instead, he took a seat a foot away from the anxious side. He couldn’t do more than wait for Thomas to calm down, however, because Virgil clearly wasn’t receptive to sound, he was hiding his eyes, and any sudden touch would probably send him spiraling.

Eventually, Virgil glanced up and started when he saw Logan. Logan held his hands out in front of him and started the breath count on his fingers: Inhale for four, hold for seven, exhale for eight. Virgil would surely respond better to being able to match his breaths to something fact-based than match his breath to someone else’s at this moment.

Slowly, Virgil reached out with trembling hands and Logan moved forwards, slowly, until Virgil jerked his arms telling him to stop.

Logan nodded and continued the breath count on his fingers. As Virgil twisted his hands in front of him, Logan started whispering the count, soft enough that Virgil could easily block it out but loud enough that he could hear it if he wanted.

Virgil didn’t block it out. “I’m okay,” he rasped finally. “Sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry about, Virgil. You went through an incredibly invasive process, it is only natural you would have such a reaction.”

“Do you feel up for a hug?” Patton asked.

Virgil shook his head. “Not right now, sorry Pat.”

“That’s okay, kiddo. Whatever makes you most comfortable is what I want.”

“Could you, uhm maybe, sit? With me?”

“Sure.” Patton sat down next to Logan. “Is here okay? Or too much?”

“I—”

“You can ask us to back up, Virgil, it’s alright,” Logan promised.

“Or come closer, whatever you need, kiddo.”

“Back up, just a little, please?” They did so and Virgil relaxed.

“Alright, what was that?” Thomas asked, looking at Roman. Virgil seemed to know what was happening too, but he wasn’t about to start questioning the side who’d just come down from a panic attack.”

“I thought—“ In hindsight, Roman really didn’t know what he thought. “I thought it would help.”

The silence he was met with conveyed that no one else saw it the way.

Finally Thomas sighed. “Roman that wasn’t helpful. Virgil already agreed.” He met the anxious side’s eyes for a moment. “And even if he hadn’t there’s no excuse for getting Janus to do that.”

Roman nodded miserably. He was supposed to be the hero, but he kept doing villainous activity. “I understand.” And he sunk out.

Soon the other sides followed him, Virgil coming in last.

“Virgil,” Roman started, “I-“

Virgil stepped back. “Princey, please. I can’t not right now,” Virgil said. “Too much.”

Roman nodded. “Alright. Fare thee well, Storm Cloud.”

Virgil nodded and walked away, burrowing in his hoodie.

“I really messed up.”

“Yeah, you did, kiddo,” Patton said, “I’m not going to beat around the bush. It’s going to take a while for him to trust you again.”

Roman hadn’t fully realized the effects of what he’d done until he heard the words ‘trust’. This wasn’t going to be a thing he could fix in a day, this was going to take time, but he was willing to give it.

It started with taking a step back. If Virgil was having a panic attack, and Roman found him, he asked who Virgil wanted and summoned them, before leaving Virgil in their capable hands. Eventually, he started asking Virgil if he could stay, then asking Virgil if he was okay with Roman helping him, soon Virgil said yes.

In conversations about Thomas, Roman tried, he didn’t always succeed, but he tried to listen to what Virgil was saying, let Patton and Logan address his concerns, add to the list of ways to ease them, instead of brushing them aside like he had been doing.

It took a while, to get back to some semblance of normal, for Vigil to stop flinching whenever Janus entered the room, for the suspicious looks to stop whenever Roman and Janus talked, but eventually they did. They always do.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed and have a wonderful day!


End file.
